The Small Golden Key
- To the Treasures of the Various Essential Necessities
of General and Extraordinary Buddhist Dharma
— by Thinley Norbu
In The Small Golden Key , Thinley Norbu Rinpoche explains in simple, concise language the important ideas and practices of Buddhism, with special attention to the Vajrayana teachings of Tibetan Buddhism.
He discusses:
• the origins of Buddhism in India and its spread to Tibet,
• the important lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, with emphasis on the Nyingma school,
• the differences between the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana teachings,
• the outstanding features of the Mahayana,
• some of the special qualities and practices of the Vajrayana.
Thinley Norbu Rinpoche (1931–2011) was a preeminent teacher in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. The eldest son of His Holiness Düdjom Rinpoche, he was a primary holder of the Düdjom Tersar lineage and considered to be an emanation of Longchenpa - the great fourteenth-century Nyingma master.
— From back cover